New Year, new you, right? Don’t we all say that at the beginning of every year? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not so great at keeping my resolutions—especially when it comes to delicious food. I have this hang-up that “healthy” means “tasteless.” This, however, is not true and here are ten healthy recipes to prove it! (To me and to you…)
Avgolemono Greek Chicken Zoodle Soup: Despite being a full-fledged grown-up, I struggle with vegetables. I’ve found, though, that I have no problem eating them when they’re part of a main dish. Take this soup for example. It’s based on a traditional Greek dish, but has substituted zucchini noodles for rice to pack in more veggies and a fun flavor twist. The recipe is dairy-free, grain-free, low carb, and paleo.
Korean Bibimbap: If you prefer your Asian cuisine with a bit more spice, check out this recipe. I like that, being served bowl style, each family member can make little adjustments to make their bowl their own. Not a fan of carrots? Add more mushrooms instead. Don’t like green onions (that’d be me!)? Skip them. And there’s a link for a beef recipe that complements the dish nicely, because healthy eating isn’t only about vegetables.
Slow-Cooker Guacamole Soup: Um… do I even really need to explain why this soup is on this list? I mean, seriously—is there a single word in its name that isn’t amazing? (And I promise not to tell if you make a slightly-less-than-healthy cheese quesadilla for dipping.)
Southwestern Steak, Corn, and Black Bean Wraps: I don’t care how healthy I’m supposed to be eating: I WILL NOT GIVE UP MY BURRITOS! *ahem* Anyway, here’s a healthy, tasty burrito recipe for you. (And yes, I know that flank steak is not an inexpensive meat, but the marinade provides a light flavor that works in all kinds of dishes, so you’ll be able to use it for leftovers.)
Butternut Squash, Mushroom, Kale, and Sausage Frittata: I may have gone a little bit overboard at the local pumpkin patch on the last weekend it was open. The price for squash was so low they may as well have been giving it away, and now I have, well, an awful lot of butternut squash. This recipe was a great find for using some of that squash in a lazy weekend breakfast or even on a breakfast for dinner kind of day.
Blackened Salmon with Avocado Salsa: Are you a fish fan? Check out this dish! The salmon is seasoned with Cajun seasonings, so you could also try serving it with maquechoux. (You can substitute canned and frozen ingredients in the maquechoux recipe. Who has time to cut corn off the cob?!)
Apple Cranberry Pecan Salad: All the credit for finding this one goes to my husband. For the life of me I cannot remember what meal he made for dinner when he made this salad to go with it—that’s how delicious the salad is. Because he was serving the salad as a side rather than a main dish, he skipped the spinach and he cut the apples into matchsticks using a mandolin.
One note: The vinaigrette is tart. We encouraged our daughter to try the salad, but also set aside a plate of the salad fixings without dressing. She was able to enjoy the pieces of the salad without the dressing when it turned out she didn’t like it.
Yogurt with Toasted Quinoa, Dates, and Almonds: The first time I heard about quinoa for breakfast, I thought it was kind of a weird idea. However, I don’t like large breakfasts nor am a fan of traditional healthy options like oatmeal, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I have to say that breakfast quinoa is pretty darn good! It’s filling and doesn’t have the weird-to-me texture of oatmeal. Toasted quinoa and nuts give this dish a delicious flavor, and the mix of savory and sweet ingredients is really fun. Try it as a breakfast or snack option.
What’s your favorite healthy option? Share your links in the comments so we can all enjoy nourishing our bodies with healthy—and tasty—food!